Construction of an apparatus for drawing vitreous fibers



Dec. 18, 1962 w. s. FIEDLER 3,

CONSTRUCTION OF AN APPARATUS FOR DRAWING VITREOUS FIBERS Filed June 2. 1958 FIG. 4

INVENTOR.

WILL/AM .5. F/EDLER V4 Q- 12cm- Attorney Hire States 3,068,669 CQNSTRUCTEON F AN APPARATUS FOR DRAWING VITREOUS FIBERS William S. Fiedier, 121 Acacia Lane, Madison, Wis. Filed June 2, 1958, Ser. No. 739,217 4 Claims. (Cl. 65-1) This invention relates to an improved construction of an apparatus for drawing vitreous fibers and in particular, to an apparatus having heat radiating means of the metal of the apparatus affixed to that surface of the apparatus containing a plurality of tips through which vitreous fibers are drawn, the heat radiating means radiating suflicient heat to cause the tips adjacent the heat radiating means to function properly.

Heretofore, apparatus for drawing glass fibers has consisted of a container known in the art as a bushing. This container has a plurality of tips on the lower surface thereof which are connected to and open into the container. In the apparatus previously described, the end or outermost tips have failed to function properly. The only way that this problem could be alleviated was to close off the end or outermost tips. This method has been unsatisfactory since it has greatly decreased the amount of fibers capable of being produced from a single bushing.

I have found that the end tips do not function properly because of a temperature differential which exists between the end tips and the tips adjacent the end tips. The arrangement of these tips has been such that all of the tips except the outermost or end tips receive an amount of radiant heat sutficient to cause all the tips except the end tips to function properly. The end tips receive a small amount of radiant heat due to their location and for this reason do not function at all or function so poorly that an inferior product is produced.

This invention relates to a means for equalizing the temperature of the tips of an apparatus for drawing vitreous fibers so that all of the tips function properly and therefore provide for maximum production of fibers for a single bushing. To accomplish this equalization of temperature, heat radiating means such as plates or shields of the same metal as that of the bushing are provided on that surface of the bushing which contains the tips adjacent the end tips or completely surrounding all of the tips.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide an improved construction of an apparatus for drawing vitreous fibers.

Another object is a means for equalizing the temperature between the tips of an apparatus for drawing glass fibers so that all of the tips function properly.

Another object is an apparatus having heat radiating means of the metal of the apparatus afiixed to that surface of the apparatus containing a plurality of tips through which vitreous fibers are drawn, the heat radiating means radiating sufficient heat to cause the tips adjacent the heat radiating means to function properly.

Other objects will become apparent from the drawings and from the following detailed description in which it is intended to illustrate the applicability of the invention without thereby limiting it to a scope less than that of all equivalents which will be apparent to one skilled in the art. In the drawing, like reference numerals refer to like parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partially schematic, partially crosssectional view of one embodiment of the improved construction in an apparatus for drawing glass fibers;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view of another embodi- 3,068,669 Patented Dec. 18, 1962 ice ment of an improved construction in an apparatus for drawing vitreous fibers; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view from below of still another embodiment of an improved apparatus for drawing vitreous fibers.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2, there is shown container 1 (usually referred to in the art as a bushing) having orifice containing tips 3, 5, 7 in lower surface 9 thereof and having affixed to surface 9 adjacent tips 3 and 7 heat radiating means 11, 11. Heat radiating means 11, 11' are in alignment with tips 3, 5, 7 and are parallel to each other. Contained within container 1,

such as glass or silica which is maintained molten by electrical current which is. caused to pass through the walls of container 1 at relatively low voltage and high amperage. The values for power depend on the size of the container, the thickness of its walls, the amount of material contained therein, and the amount andtype of insulation. not shown, such as by bus bar clamps which provide electrical connections thereto for passage of current therethrough. Below container 1, there is provided a wind-up device such as wind-up wheel 15 which may be driven in any suitable manner such as, for example, by an electric motor which is not shown.

"Container 1 is supported by and connected to suitable means for causing a current to flow therethrough. Material to be drawn into fibers is introduced into container 1 and caused to become molten. Due to the presence of heat radiating means 11, 11 droplets of molten material form and extend downwardly from the orifices of orifice containing tips 3, 5, 7 at the bottom of container 1 by suitable means (not shown). The dro;lets are drawn downward from the mass through the orifice containing tips 3, 5, 7 attenuated and caused to pass around rotating wheel 15. The resultant fibers 17, 19, 21 frictionally engage wheel 15 and as the wheel rotates fibers 17, 19, 2.1 are continuously drawn around the wheel, to provide three continuous strands wrapped around wheel 15.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, there is shown the bottom surface 23 of bushing 24 having two rows of crifice containing tips 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35 thereon. Surface 23 of bushing 24 has affixed thereto heat radia ing means 37, 37 so that means 37, 37' are parallel to each other and at a predetermined angle to said tips.

The bushing 39 of FIGURE 4 has on the bottom surface 41 thereof, a plurality of orifice containing tips 43, 45, 47, 49. The tips contained on surface 41 are surrounded by heat reflecting means 51 which extends completely around the bottom surface of bushing 39.

Materials from which a suitable bushing having radiating means thereon may be made include platinum, rhodium aloys, other noble and base mettls, boron nitride, graphite or refractory materials. The materials from which the bushing is made will depend on the material to be contained therein.

Heat radiating means may be suitably used on bushings having only one row of Orifice containing tips or having a plurality of rows of orifice containing tips.

By heat radiating means, I mean a strip of bushing material which may extend all the way around the lower surface of a bushing and is aflixed to said surface, or which may be affixed and extend adjacent the end tips. This strip acts to radiate heat from the outermost or end tips to provide the end tips with sufiicient heat that they operate properly.

It may thus be seen that an improved construction in an apparatus for drawing glass fibers consists of afiixing heat radiating means to that surface of a bushing The container may be supported by means aoeaeso containing a plurality of orifice containing tfps through which vitreous fibers are drawn adjacent the end or outermost tips to provide the end tips with sutficient heat to cause them to function properly. These heat radiating means may be situated at opposing ends of the surface of the bushing in alignment with the Tips and parallel to the tips and to each other, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, or the radiating means may completely surround the lower surface of the bushing as shown in FIGURE 4, or the heat radiating means may be situated at opposing ends of the lower surface of the bushing in alignment with the orifice containing tips and are parallel to each other and at a predetermined angle to the tips as shown in FIGURE 3.

It may thus be seen that the invention is broad in scope and includes such modifications as will be apparent to those skilled in the art and is to be limited only by the claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An apparatus for producing fibers from heat softenable material comprisinga bushing adapted to contain a supply of molten material, orifices through one wall of said bushing through which molten material is discharged and a tip for each orifice, said tips being separately spaced, said tips being in the form of tubes, each tube extending outwardly from said bushing wall into the atmosphere, the tips being arranged to provide a continuous grid structure so as to transfer heat by radiation from one tip to the next adjacent tip, at least one heat radiating member extending outwardly from said bushing Wall, said member being opaque to radiant heat, said member spaced apart from said grid, said member disposed between said tips and the atmosphere.

2. An'apparatus for producing fibers from heat softenable material comprising a bushing adapted to contain a. supply .of molten material, orifices through one wall;

of said bushing through which molten material is discharged and-a tip for each orifice, said tips being separately spaced, said tips being in the form of tubes, each tube extending outwardly from said bushing wall into the atmosphere, the tips being arranged to provide a continuous grid structure so as to transfer heat by radiation, from one tip to the next adjacent tip, at least one heat radiating member extending outwardly from said bushingwall, saidmember being opaque to radiant heat,

said member being disposed adjacent to only certain 5 of said tips, said certain tips being only those which are at the outermost portion of the bushing wall, said member being disposed between the outermost tips and the atmosphere.

3. An apparatus for producing fibers from heat sotenable material comprising a bushing adapted to contain a supply of molten material, orifices through one wall of said bushing through which molten material is discharged and a tip for each orifice, said tips being separately spaced, said tips being in the form of tubes, each tube extending outwardly from said bushing wall into the atmosphere, the tips being arranged to provide a continuous grid structure so as to transfer heat by radiat'on frcm one tip to the next adjacent tip, a heat radiating member extending outwardly from said bushing, said member being opaque to radiant heat and completely surrounding the orifice containing tips.

4. An apparatus for producing fibers from heat softenable material comprising a bushing adapttd to contain a supply of molten material, orifices through rne wall of said bushing through which molten material is discharged and a tip for each orifice, said tips being separately spaced, said tips being in the form of tubes, each tube extending outwardly from said bushing wall into the atmosphere, the tips be ng arranged to provide a grid structure so as to transfer heat by radiation frcm 7 one tip to the next adjacent tip, two heat radiating members extending outwardly from said bushing wall, said member positioned at opposite ends of the bushing wall, and spaced apart from the tips, both members being parallely disposed with relation to each other and both members being opaque to-heat.

ReferencesCiied in the file of this patent 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,267,019 Esser Dec. 23, 1941 2,489,508 Stalego Nov. 29, 1949 2,775,850 iStalego Ian. 1, 1957 2,814,657 Labino Nov. 26, 1957 2,908,036 Russell Oct. 13, 1959 2,962,755 'Plummer Dec. 6, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 452,810 Great Britain Aug. 31, 1936 

